Hosta plant named &#39;June Spirit&#39;

ABSTRACT

Hosta  plant named ‘June Spirit’ with cordate, heavy-substanced, shiny leaves having medium-wide deep-green margins and yellow-green centers. Flowers are medium lavender held attractively above the foliage on small-sized plant.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Hosta hybrid (Tratt.)

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘June Spirit’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hosta plant, Hosta ‘June Spirit’ discovered by Susan Lichacz at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA on Jun. 18, 2008 as an uninduced whole plant mutation in a tissue cultured crop of Hosta ‘June Fever’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,340. The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated both by division and by tissue culture at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and in both asexual propagation systems found to be stable and produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Hosta ‘June Spirit’ differs from its mutation source parent, ‘June Fever’, as well as all other hostas known to the applicant. Hosta ‘June Fever’ is a mutation from Hosta ‘Halcyon’. ‘Halcyon’ has produced multiple mutations and sports with green to blue-green margins and yellowish to cream centers including these similar but unique from ‘June Spirit’ include: ‘Catherine’ (not patented) and ‘Katherine Lewis’ (not patented), ‘Ripple Effect’ (not patented), ‘Touch of Class’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,080, ‘June’ (not patented), ‘Orange Star’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,384 and ‘Remember Me’ (not patented). Hosta ‘June Spirit’ is most similar to ‘June Fever’, ‘Justine’ and ‘Orange Star’ with all four having the shiny vernicose upper leaf surface, but the new plant has a much wider leaf margin and stiffer, more upright foliage than ‘June Fever’ and is faster growing than ‘Justine’ and ‘Orange Star’. The leaf center of ‘Orange Star’ tends to be a lighter yellow than ‘Justine and ‘June Spirit’ under the same light intensity. All of the above have similar flower color.

‘Catherine’ and ‘Touch of Class’ appear to be indistinguishable from each other with a wide blue-green leaf margin, flat glaucous leaf and yellowish leaf center. ‘Remember Me’ has a bright creamy leaf center and blue-green margin with glaucous surface.

TABLE 1 Margin Margin Center Leaf Leaf Cultivar color width color surface structure ‘Halcyon’ blue- no blue- glaucous flat green variegation green ‘June’ blue- medium yellow glaucous flat green ‘June green thin creamy- shiny flat Fever’ yellow ‘June green medium- yellow- shiny flat Spirit’ wide green Justine’ green medium- yellow- shiny flat wide green Orange green wide yellow shiny flat Star’ ‘Remember blue- medium- creamy glaucous flat Me’ green thin ‘Touch of blue- wide creamy- glaucous flat Class’ green yellow ‘Catherine’ blue- medium creamy- glaucous flat green yellow ‘Katherine blue- medium yellow- glaucous flat Lewis’ green green ‘Ripple blue- thin creamy- glaucous wavy Effect’ green yellow

There are over 4,900 cultivars registered with The American Hosta Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hosta with another similar number of unregistered cultivars. Hosta ‘June Spirit’ differs from all these registered and unregistered cultivars known to the inventor in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Plant of small size with upright to gradually arching         foliage;     -   2. Cordate leaves with deep-green margins and yellow-green         centers, shiny surface above and matte surface below;     -   3. Numerous flowers of medium lavender held attractively above         foliage in mid-summer;

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the three-year old plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the near-mature plant, including the unique traits, grown in a partially shaded garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source, direction and temperature may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a leaf close-up of a one-year old plant in the early part of the growing season.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘June Spirit’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and specimen maturity, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a two-year old plant in a trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. with 50% artificial shade, supplemental water and light fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid; -   Mutation parentage: Hosta ‘June Fever’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,340 -   Propagation method: By sterile laboratory tissue culture propagation     and garden division; -   Growth rate: Moderate; -   Crop time: Summer growing 10 to 12 weeks to finish in a one-liter     container; Time to initiate roots from tissue culture about two and     a half weeks; -   Plant description: -   Plant shape and habit: Hardy, long-lived, herbaceous perennial,     densely rhizomatous, forming a mounded clump in maturity, with basal     rosette leaves; typically actinomorphic; -   Roots: Normal, fleshy, lightly branching, cream-colored in normal     soil; -   Plant size: Foliage height about 26 cm tall; width of plant at the     widest point is approximately 40 cm at the widest point just above     soil line; -   Foliage description: -   Leaf blade: Ovate; entire margins, cordate leaf base with acute     apex, flat, mostly zygomorphic; without sinuous or pie-crust     margins, with moderately impressed veins above; vernicose adaxial     and matte abaxial; width to length ratio of about 1:1.7; average     about 16.0 cm long and 9.5 cm wide; 10 to 11 pairs of major parallel     veins on either side of one main center vein; glabrous; margin     variegation portion increasing with age from ¼ to about ⅖ total leaf     width; -   Blade color: Emerging and early season adaxial (top) center between     RHS N144C and RHS N144B, adaxial margin between RHS 137A and RHS     136A, intermediate striated colors of RHS 138C, and nearest RHS     N144D in small irregular patches between the margin and center where     histogenic layers of the LI and LII do not evenly fold over each     other; emerging and early season abaxial (bottom) center between RHS     N144A and RHS 144A, abaxial margin nearest RHS 137A, intermediate     colors of nearest RHS N144D and nearest RHS 144B in very small     irregular patches between the margin and center; mid-season and     later adaxial center between RHS 151D and RHS N144A in higher light     and nearest RHS 151A in lower light intensity, mid-season and later     adaxial margin between RHS 136A and RHS 137A and small irregular     intermediate patches of nearest RHS 139C, nearest RHS N144C;     mid-season and later abaxial center between RHS N144C and RHS 144B,     and margins nearest RHS 136B and small irregular intermediate     patches of nearest RHS N144D and nearest RHS 144B in very small     irregular patches between the margin and center; -   Veins: 10 to 11 pairs of major parallel veins, with one major center     vein; -   Vein color: Adaxial center vein nearest RHS 145A; side adaxial veins     same color as surrounding leaf tissue; abaxial center vein nearest     RHS 145B and side veins same color as surrounding leaf tissue; -   Petioles: Concavo-convex, glabrous, glaucous, more upright toward     the center of the clump to arching in the perimeter of the clump; 12     to 15 cm long and about 0.6 cm wide measured at 2.5 cm above soil     line; -   Petiole color: Adaxial margins between RHS 136B and RHS 137B and     adaxial centers nearest RHS 144B; abaxial margins between RHS 136B     and RHS 137B and adaxial centers nearest RHS 144B; -   Flower description: -   Buds: Clavate, acute to bluntly acute apex with longer thin base;     one day prior to opening about 4.5 cm long, and 1.5 cm wide at the     broadest portion; -   Bud color: Between RHS 91B and RHS 92B in distal region, lightening     to lighter than RHS 91D in the mid-portion and then darkening to     between RHS 76A and RHS 77D in the proximal region; -   Flowers: 16 to 32 per scape closely aligned on the scape; each     subtended by bract; perfect; funnelform; single; held mostly     horizontal; about 4.0 cm wide and 7.5 cm long, (decreasing     distally); remain open for a normal period, usually one to two days     on or cut from plant; scapes remain effective from mid-July into     early August in Zeeland, Mich.; no significant detectable fragrance; -   Tepals: Two sets of three fused at the basal two thirds; acute apex;     margins entire; glabrous, approximately 6.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide;     with longitudinal lavender band about 7.0 mm wide with a white     perimeter margin of about 3.5 mm wide; -   Tepal color: Two sets of tepals identical in color; abaxial tepal     color between RHS 85D and RHS 85C on the center longitudinal band     and lighter than RHS 85D on the margin with veins the same color as     the surrounding tissue; adaxial tepal center longitudinal band more     violet than RHS 77D and more purple than RHS 85A with three veins of     nearest RHS 77B and a white margin of lighter than RHS N155D; all     tepals have a thin vitreous margin of 1.0 to 1.5 mm wide; -   Pedicel: Cylindrical, slightly curved downward at time of flowering,     matte, glabrous; about 10 mm long, 3 mm diameter; color nearest RHS     85C; -   Peduncle: Cylindrical, matte, glabrous, unbranched; usually one per     division, slightly arching to about 80 degrees from horizontal;     about 5 mm diameter at base, about 40 cm tall; color nearest RHS     138C with a slight tinting of RHS N187C; -   Gynoecium: Single;     -   -   Style.—about 6.5 cm long, protruding about 1.0 cm beyond             tepals, 1 mm diameter, slightly curled upward at distal 1.0             cm; color nearest RHS 155 the whole length.         -   Stigma.—rounded, 1 mm to 2 mm in diameter, color lighter             than RHS 155D.         -   Ovary.—ovoid with acute apex, about 6 mm long and 3 mm             diameter; color between RHS 145A and RHS 145B. -   Androecium: Six;     -   -   Filaments.—six, about 1.0 mm in diameter and 5.5 cm long,             shorter than gynoecium; with slight curve upward the             proximal 1.0 mm; color lighter than RHS 11D throughout.         -   Anthers.—oblong; dorsifixed, versatile; dehiscing             longitudinal; about 4 mm long and 1 mm wide; color nearest             RHS N186B.         -   Pollen.—elliptical, less than 0.1 mm long, color between RHS             17B and RHS 17C. -   Bracts: Subtending individual or groups of two or three flowers,     lanceolate, entire, vernicose, glabrous, concavo-convex, widest at     middle and tapering to acute apex, sessile, clasping about ½     peduncle; about 1.5 cm long and 6.0 mm across before lowest flower,     progressively decreasing in both length and width; drying as flowers     open; protruding nearly perpendicular at time of flower opening; -   Bract color: Abaxial and adaxial 1.0 to 2.0 mm wide margins between     RHS 137B and RHS 136B; central abaxial and adaxial portion between     RHS 151A and RHS N144A with light tinting between RHS N187B and     N186B; -   Fruit: Has not yet been observed; -   Seeds: Have not yet been observed; -   Pest and disease resistance: Disease or pest resistance beyond that     common to hostas has not been observed. The plant grows best with     light fertilizer, plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is     able to tolerate some flooding and drought when mature. Hardiness at     least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other disease resistance is     typical of that of other hostas. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental Hosta plant named ‘June Spirit’ as herein described and illustrated, suitable as a potted plant, for landscaping the garden, and for cut flower or leaf arrangements. 